Display signs



V. FOSSA DISPLAY SIGNS Jan. 30, 1968 Filed Feb. 11, 1966 I NVENTOR.

Wiai V20 7%? m y United States Patent 3,365,825 DISPLAY SIGNS Victor Fossa, Springfield, Mass., assignor to Hyman Neigher, Longnieadow, Mass. Filed Feb. 11, 1966, Ser. No. 526,826 3 Elaims. (Cl. 40--34) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The within invention is concerned with a sign having a display board having on its face a plurality of separate discs which are intermittently rotated in unison. There is a timing device which stops the rotation of the discs when the indicia or printed matter thereupon become aligned or registered with one another in order to display to the viewer a legend, picture, printed matter or other media. The surface of the sign presents a whirling mass of shapes and lines while the discs are rotating but form no recognizable pattern. The particular invention improves the prior art by having a driving mechanism for the transmission system which can be readily disconnected for manual operation so that alignment or registration of the discs may be made manually by the use of a key, eliminating the inexpensive procedure of dismantling the unit for the purpose of obtaining correct registration of the media appearing on the discs.

This invention relates to improvements in display signs having a plurality of rotatable sections and in the mechanism for operating the same.

A sign of the type herein disclosed may be seen in Patent No. 1,743,017, dated Jan. 7, 1930. It comprises a display board having on its face a plurality of separate discs which are intermittently rotated in unison, being stopped when the printed matter on each of the discs becomes registered with one another in order to display a legend, picture, or other advertising or visual media. During rotation of the discs, the combined surface presents a shifting, whirling mass of shapes and lines attracting the eye, but forming no recognizable pattern.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved sign of simple, economical construction.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel mechanism for activating the discs which will be sturdy, easy to assemble, with a minimum of readily adjustable moving parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a driving mechanism for the transmission system, which may be readily disconnected for manual rotation of the discs so as to provide alignment and registration as desired. Thus, the display device may be easily adjusted for proper disc rotation and insure against malfunction such as binding when the display is changed or varied, or when the device is initially placed into operation.

Another object is to provide a display device which will enable the use of poster displays of inexpensive surface materials so that the media may be readily and easily changed at low cost.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device mounted in convenient fashion for visual display of the material on the sign face;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the sign face shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the drive mechanism for rotating the discs;

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FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary section to show details of the face of the display device;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the key for rotating the drive mechanism; and

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of the mutilated wheel meshing with the spur gear.

The invention as herein disclosed is concerned principally with the particular drive mechanism for rotating the discs. The drive, hereinafter described, will enable the display device to be used with greater facility and utility than has heretofore been possible. The features, particularly of utility, will be discussed in detail as the structure is explained.

The device itself comprises a display board 1, on which the advertising or display media is carried, the board being adapted for suitable mounting on a frame vertically positioned as by a U-shaped brace. A chain strap 3 supports the frame in the manner of an easel connected to the support 2. On the face of the board 1 is carried a plurality of contiguous discs 4, the discs being recessed in the board so as to bring the outer surface thereof in the plane of the outer surface of the board. A smooth face is thus presented for application of advertising or display media. The discs 4 are rotated synchronously and stopped simultaneously, as will be described. When stopped, as shown by the position of FIGURE 1, the various parts of the legend or picture media are intelligibly presented on the face of the sign board. While rotating, the discs present a scrambled, unintelligible movement of lines and/ or colors.

The discs 4, as best shown by FIGURES 2, 3, and 6, are mounted with outer offset face portions in openings 5 of the board 1. The inner portions of the discs are flanged to form gear Wheels having peripheral gear teeth 6. The teeth'of each of the discs 4 are in mesh with the teeth of the disc or discs adjacent thereto, as is shown in the view of FIGURE 2. The particular arrangement of the discs 4 may be varied as desired for a disc gear train, the arrangement of FIGURES 1 and 2 showing several horizontal and vertical rows of such discs.

The board 1 is conveniently recessed or countersunk around the edge of each opening 5 as at 7 (FIGURES 3 and 4) so as to provide clearance for the teeth, and to line up the planar surface of the discs 4 with the planar surface of board 1. Board 1, as shown by FIGURE 3, is provided with a thickness slightly greater than that of the discs 4 in order to provide a free wheeling of the latter between the edge portion 7 and the surface of a backing frame 8 to which board 1 is attached as by mounting screws or bolts 9 (FIGURE 1) as at the four corners of the frame. The discs 4 are journaled for rotation on axle pins 10 held in suitable bearing bushings.

FIGURE 3 shows at the left thereof a driven disc 4 and centrally the driving disc for the sign. The driving disc is connected to the drive shaft 19 of the mechanism by the stem 30.

The drive mechanism for the discs is shown by FIG- URE 3. It is mounted on a small plate platform 15 fixed horizontally and substantially at a right angle relation to the frame 8. The plate 15 is secured to frame 8 in any suitable manner as by turned down flanges 16 at the inner edges thereof and supporting leg braces fixed at their ends to the outer edges of the plate and at their inner ends to the frame.

Mounted on the plate at one side thereof is a small electric motor 17 of a common type which may be connected to a suitable source of current in any convenient fashion as by a lead wire 18. The motor 17 is continuously driven and through the connections shown, intermittently rotates a disc drive shaft 19.

The shaft (not shown) of motor 17 is provided with a gear reducer (not shown) in casing box 24 and carries :a mutilated spur gear 26 which is in mesh with a spur gear 27 on disc drive shaft 19. Shaft 19 is parallel with the motor shaft (not shown) and is journaled in the bracket 28 which is attached to the casing box 24 of the gear reducer.

The relation between the mutilated wheel 26 and the spur gear 27 is shown most clearly by FIGURE 6. It is there seen that the mutilated spur gear or wheel 26 is provided throughout the greater portion of its periphery with spur tooth gearing. A shorter peripheral are 29 is blank and substantially an arcuate extension of the root circle of the toothed portion. It will be readily understood that continuous rotation of the mutilated gear 26 will impart intermittent rotation to the spur gear 27 and thus to the shaft 19. Due to the speed reduction by suitable gearing in gear box 24, such rotation may be at a relatively low speed as may be desired. The intermittent rotation of spur gear 27, as will be apparent, is transmitted to the display disc 4.

The outer free end of the disc drive shaft 19 is extended to lie within and adjacent to the outer edge of platform 15. At this end, pins as at 31 are provided for engagement by the open ended slotted portion 32 on the end of shaft 33 of key 34. It will be noted that when the mutilated gear 26 is rotated to lie with its blank 29 facing the spur gear 27, there will be no inter-engagement of the teeth of these gears. Accordingly, if the motor is stopped with the mutilated gear 26 in such position, it Will be possible by means of key 34 to manually rotate the discs 4 by turning the disc drive shaft 19 as desired.

The spring member 12 is fastened by metal screws 13 to the top of the motor shaft bearing bracket 21. In order to have the teeth of spur gear 27 mesh with the mutilated gear 2a, the operator places his finger 11 down on the tip 22 of the spring 12 and the protrusion 12a locks the gear 27 until it meshes with the teeth of gear 26, at which moment the operator removes his finger 11. oftentimes, the mutilated gear 26 will slip past 27 in the absence of this procedure. Gear 26 is free wheeling and because it needs mesh alignment with gear 27, the spring 12 and protrusion 12a act as an indexer for meshing and aligning the two gears.

It will be clear that the teeth of gears 26 and 27 may be so interrelated as to provide for one complete revolution of gear 27 and discs 4 for each rotation of the mutilated gear 26. Thus, a driving engagement of gear 26 with gear 27 will rotate the discs as from a condition of intelligible registration of the material on the sign face through one revolution to the same condition of registration which will remain for visual inspection during a period of dwell and until the teeth of gear 26 re-engage those of gear 27. The gear ratios may, of course, be varied to provide a dwell and registration of the material on the faces of the discs as desired.

The printed and pictorial media on the sign face may be applied in any convenient manner desired as by painting. InFIGURE is shown a preferred arrangement for display on the sign face. In this embodiment, paper posters are employed to provide the display material. Such a poster is shown at 35. It is afiixed against the surface of the board 1 and the discs by means of a double faced pressure sensitive adhesive sheet or tape, the same being indicated by a backing strip 36 and adhesive faces 14 on each side thereof. The adhesive tape is first laid against the co-planar surfaces of the board 1 and discs 4 and the poster is then placed against the outer adhesive surface. A suitable knife blade is then inserted through the poster and tape into the circular space defined by and between the edges of the disc and opening 5. The poster and tape is slit around the periphery of the disc 4 to permit the turning of the disc and its printed face with relation to the surface of the board 1. Thus, no liquid adhesive or paste can be worked into the adjacent spaces to bind the 4 discs or possibly work into the meshing gear teeth of adjacent discs.

It is to be noted that when the sign isready for initial operation, it is possible by means of the key 34 to test the ease with which the discs may be rotated. If any one or more'of the discs are bound or caught, the trouble can readily be determined by manual operation and the cause thereof removed. The discs 4 can then be placed in registering position of the poster and the motor turned on for automatic intermittent disc rotation. If the discs are registered at the dwell position of gear 26 with the abovementioned preferred gear. ratio with respect to gear 27, they will be registered again at each period of dwell. The motor can be of small capacity to turn the discs 4 easily once the discsA are manually tested for the free Wheeling thereof. In such case, also, the material of the discs 4 and the board can be of comparatively light construction as stiff fibre board without fear of breakage or damage by initial obstructions which could overload the motor or damage the gear teeth on the discs.

In the arrangement of the drive mechanism, it will also be clear that the display matter can be readily changed without difiiculty by the ordinary workmen. The power may be disconnected from the motor in any relative position of the discs, a new poster affixed to the sign face, and the circular slits'made around the discs. The shaft 19 can be rotated by hand to assure free action of all discs and to register the discs at the period of dwell of gear 26. The motor is then connected for automatic drive.

It will be understood that the mechanism on platform 15 may be encased in a suitable cover with an opening left for insertion of the key shaft 33. The key 34 is made removable, as shown. to prevent tampering by an unauthorized person.

As previously mentioned, the various parts of the sign may be constructed from extremely light materials and, because of the arrangement disclosed, will not be subject to damage in operation. Commercial embodiments, according to the invention, have been made with stiff fibre board discs 4 and a fibre board display board 1 with the frame either of fibre board or light wood. It will be understood that the board 1, instead of being recessed or countersunk for the discs at the rear side thereof, may be hat on both surfaces and provided merely with the openings 5. The desired spaced relation with frame 8 for movement of the discs may be provided by any. suitable separate spacer blocks or studs between frame 8 and the fiat board.

V I claim:

1. In a display sign, a sign support, and a sign face thereupon, a plurality of discs having gear teeth on the periphery thereof mounted as a gear train on said support, means to impart intermittent rotation to said discs, including a motor, a control wheel driven by the motor and having a mutilated gear with a toothed portion and a blank portion on its periphery, a shaft adjacent said control wheel having a driving engagement with one of said discs, a spur gear mounted on said shaft periodically engageable by the teeth of said control wheel and a display board surface mounted against said support, and provided with openings registered with the outer faces of said discs including a removable key for said shaft, means on said shaft for engaging said key whereby said key can turn the shaft independently of said control wheel when the tooth portion of the latter is out of engagement with said spur gear and the discs are out of register. 7

2. In a display sign as described in claim 1, said toothed portion on said mutilated gee; engageable with said spur gear to drive the spur gear one complete revolution for each revolution of said mutilated gear, the blank portion of said gear providing a period of dwell for said discs;

3. In a display sign as described in clainil, a frame support on which said discs are rotatably journaled, a display board provided with circular openings registering with the discs, the outer surfaces of the discs being offset from the toothed portions and in co-planar relation with the board face, countersunk portions surrounding the openings on the back side of said display board, each portion intersecting an adjacent portion, and a double faced pressure sensitive adhesive afiixed to the eo-planar surfaces of the discs and board to receive a paper poster on said sign face, said rotating means including a manually operable device to rotate the discs independently of said motor drive.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,418,012 5/1922 Miner 40139 5 2,265,611 12/1941 Perkins 4034 FOREIGN PATENTS 464,296 6/ 1951 Italy.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. W. I. CONTRERAS, Examiner. 

